Former Municipial Court Judge

Former Assistant District Attny.

Denton County Office 940-580-2899
Collin County Office 972-954-1947

Family Violence- Are Voluntary Witness Statements Truly Voluntary? - Law Offices of Tim Powers, Denton, Texas

Tim Powers

Law Offices of Tim Powers, Denton Texas

940.580.2899 940.483.8000

So often in family violence cases, we have clients that come in with the same old “he said/ she said” story. The fact is we are not there. We rely on statements and evidence to piece everything together for us. But what happens once those statements are skewed?

For example, let’s say we have a client and he is married. Let’s say he and his wife have a huge, heated- fight. The wife is accusing the husband of cheating. The husband claims there is no other woman and tells his wife to calm down. He puts his hands on her shoulders to calm her down but does not use extra force. The wife is then furious at this point and screams in her husband’s face. The husband then grabs her arm to move her out of the way and then lets her go. As this is happening, the husband tells his wife he wants a divorce. The wife is then beyond furious and threatens to call 9-1-1. The husband stays there and lets the police in while his wife goes to the other room to calm down. The police go and talk to the wife first. Let’s say the wife tells the police her husband grabbed her. The police then bully their way into the situation and ask her if she felt pain. The wife hesitates to answer and the police ask “Well did you feel anything?” The wife reply’s yes she felt him grab her, so then the police tells the wife to put that down as her statement. The wife then claims she doesn’t want to press charges against her husband she just wants to leave. The police then say she can’t do that and by law he has to make an arrest. The wife then repeats herself saying she just wants to leave. The police say she can leave as soon as she makes her statement. Finally after feeling pressured, the wife makes “her” statement and her husband gets arrested for assault family violence.

See how fast the statement went from the husband moved her out of the way, to the husband forcefully grabbed her and pushed her really hard leaving marks. Unfortunately, this happens a lot. Statements go from voluntary statements to skewed statements for prosecution.

If you are seeking aggressive criminal representation by an experienced criminal defense attorney for your Denton County criminal case or arrest in Denton County, contact the offices of Tim Powers today. There is no charge or obligation for the initial consultation. 940.580.2899

*Tim Powers is an attorney licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of Texas. Nothing in this article is intended to be legal advice. For legal advice about any specific legal question you should directly consult an attorney. Criminal Defense Lawyers with Unparalleled Passion for Success Providing Quality Representation for your Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Carrollton, Corinth, Highland Village Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Denton County, Tarrant County, Collin County, or Dallas County criminal case